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Neonatal bioethical perspectives: practice considerations

Raquel Pasarón1

  • 1Department of Pediatric Surgery, Miami Children’s Hospital. rpasaron@bellsouth.net

Neonatal Network : NN
|May 14, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal survival has improved, but ethical challenges in neonatal care persist. This article reviews bioethical literature, offers a framework for assessing neonatal intensive care, and advocates for provider training to ensure ethically sound infant care.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Bioethics
  • Pediatric Critical Care
  • Healthcare Ethics

Background:

  • Modest improvements in U.S. infant survival rates over 30 years.
  • Economic and technological advances raise complex ethical questions in neonatal care.
  • Nurses require updated knowledge of neonatal ethical standards due to their direct patient involvement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize neonatal bioethical literature and identify practice challenges.
  • To present a framework for assessing benefits and burdens of neonatal intensive care.
  • To advocate for educational training for healthcare providers in neonatal ethics.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of extant neonatal bioethical scholarship.
  • Development of a framework for evaluating neonatal intensive care.
  • Case examples illustrating ethical dilemmas and training needs.

Main Results:

  • Identification of complex ethical issues in neonatal care practice.
  • A proposed framework to guide clinical decision-making regarding neonatal intensive care.
  • Evidence supporting the need for enhanced ethical training for neonatal healthcare providers.

Conclusions:

  • Ethical considerations are paramount in evolving neonatal care.
  • A structured approach to assessing neonatal intensive care is essential.
  • Training healthcare professionals in bioethics is crucial for supporting families and infants.

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